Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha suffered a major setback on Monday after failing to win a seat in the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) election, a result that has put her bid to stay on as president in serious doubt ahead of the IOA elections on December 5.
Usha, 62, finished fifth in the women’s SOM poll with 40 votes, missing out on one of the four available seats. Long jumper Anju Bobby George topped the poll with 53 votes, followed by former hockey captain Rani Rampal with 50, archer Dola Banerjee with 45 and Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal with 43. Former basketball player Anitha Paul Durai finished last with six votes. All 80 votes in the electoral college were cast in the online poll, which was held between 9 am and 5 pm.
The result matters because the eight elected SOMs, four men and four women, become members of the IOA General Assembly. That membership is what allows them to vote in, and stand for, the Executive Council elections on December 5, when the body that will run Indian sport for the 2026-2030 term is chosen. As things stand, Usha is not part of that electoral college.
How the votes fell
The women’s SOM election had six candidates chasing four seats, and the final tally left little room for doubt about where the support lay.
- Anju Bobby George (athletics): 53 votes
- Rani Rampal (hockey): 50 votes
- Dola Banerjee (archery): 45 votes
- Saina Nehwal (badminton): 43 votes
- P T Usha (athletics): 40 votes
- Anitha Paul Durai (basketball): 6 votes
Usha fell three votes short of Saina Nehwal, the last of the four winners. The men’s SOM seats, meanwhile, were settled without a contest on Saturday, with Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt, along with former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, elected unopposed.
Two of the eight elected SOMs, one man and one woman, will also serve on the new Executive Council.
What it means for December 5
The immediate question is whether Usha can still contest the presidential election on December 5. The short answer is that her route has narrowed sharply. She can now stand only if she is nominated to the General Assembly by a National Sports Federation, a route that most observers consider unlikely.
Usha became the first woman to head the IOA when she was elected president in December 2022, and her term has been marked by public disagreements inside the association. The December 5 polls will pick a new Executive Council, and with Usha outside the electoral college, the IOA looks set to get a new president.
That does not formally end her candidacy. The door through an NSF nomination remains open until the nomination process closes, and the coming days will show whether any federation is willing to put her name forward. For now, though, the four women elected on Monday, along with the four men elected on Saturday, hold the keys to the December vote.
A controversial poll
The election itself was not without friction. Usha complained to Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivasatava about alleged violations of the poll code, including a claim that Banerjee had forwarded a WhatsApp message backing a panel called the New Bharat Panel, listing four names along with ballot serial numbers and roll numbers. There were also wider allegations of interference in the online voting process.
The complaints added an edge to a contest that was already being watched closely, given what was at stake. The IOA has been through a turbulent few years, and the December elections are seen as a chance to reset its leadership. Monday’s result has made that reset considerably more likely.
From track legend to administrator
For Indian sport, the result also carries a touch of irony. Usha remains one of the country’s greatest athletes, the Payyoli Express who finished fourth in the 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, missing a bronze medal by one-hundredth of a second. Her move into administration was meant to bring an athlete’s voice to the top of Indian sport.
That voice will now be tested in a different way. The athletes who beat her on Monday, Anju, Rani, Dola and Saina, are themselves decorated names, and their election means the athletes’ bloc in the IOA will have fresh faces when the General Assembly meets. Whether Usha finds another way back into the contest, or whether Indian sport moves on to new leadership on December 5, will become clear in the days ahead.
FAQs
Who won the IOA women’s SOM election?
Anju Bobby George (53 votes), Rani Rampal (50), Dola Banerjee (45) and Saina Nehwal (43) won the four women’s SOM seats on Monday, November 9, 2026.
How many votes did P T Usha get?
Usha received 40 votes and finished fifth among six candidates, three votes behind Saina Nehwal.
Can P T Usha still become IOA president?
Only if a National Sports Federation nominates her to the IOA General Assembly. Without that nomination, she cannot stand in the December 5 Executive Council elections.
When are the IOA elections?
The IOA Executive Council elections for the 2026-2030 term will be held on December 5, 2026.
Who were elected as the men’s SOMs?
Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, Yogeshwar Dutt and Kamlesh Mehta were elected unopposed on Saturday.
The IOA will now move toward its December 5 elections with a new set of athlete representatives in place, and the question of who leads Indian sport into the next Olympic cycle is wide open.
